Embedding MOOCs in Academic Programmes as a Part of Curriculum Transformation: A Pilot Case Study

Abstract

The University of Wollongong’s first locally developed and hosted Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) “The Reluctant Mathematician” was a highly scaffolded MOOC designed to support stressed and low-efficacy maths learners. It was developed to lift maths skills at our university and also in the community – where maths skills continue to be a challenge and in some cases a source of stress. Internally the MOOC provided an alternative online way to support students who struggle with mathematics at university level, and as a complement to the existing face to face services. This paper describes a successful approach to using MOOCs not only for addressing skills shortage among university students, but also to engage staff in the hybrid learning aspects of curriculum transformation. Based on a small-scale pilot, the paper describes the narrative of engagement of academics, and highlights the main elements which were conducive to their engagement in selecting and using the MOOC as a support for an assignment in their curriculum. A framework is proposed educators who are interested in using MOOCs for a similar purpose.